Water heating and infusion



May 7, 1935. A. VALLS WATER HEATING AND INFUSION APPARATUS OriginalFiled Jan. 25, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor JZVdllA Attorney- May 7,1935. A, VALLS WATER HEATING AND INFUSION APPARATUS Origixial Filed Jan.25, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet? I nventor J1. I/alL:

Attorney.

Reisoued May 7, 1935 PATENT OFFICE WATER HEATING AND INFUSION APPARATUSAurelio Valls, London, England Original No. 1,981,402, dated November20, 1934,

Serial No. 708,262, January 25, 1934.

Application for reissue February 27, 1935, Serial No. 8,512. In GreatBritain January 26. 1933 'lClaims.

The invention relates to apparatus for heating liquids and moreespecially to apparatus of the kind adapted for the preparation ofinfusions, such as coii'ee, tea, medicinal solutions and thelike.

The invention has among its objects to provide an improved andsimplified heating apparatus in which infusions may be readily andrapidly prepared and an apparatus in which the electrodes are bare butthe other elements of the electric system are so mounted that the casingis completely insulated, whereby the apparatus may be safely used.

According to the invention the container and the cover of the containerare mounted within an insulating covering in such manner that theconducting parts of the system are effectually insulated.

The insulating covering of the container and the cover may be formed asa jacket of an electrically nonconducting material, conveniently asubstance that may be moulded to a determined shape, such for example asa phenol formaldehyde condensation production which may be convenientlyused in the form of a finely divided powder or otherwise.

According to the invention moreover the cover is adapted to be appliedupon the container and the container provided with a reinforcement sothat the pressure applied upon the cover for making an efiectivegas-tight joint with the container is transmitted to the reinforcement,so that thus no tensile stress is imposed upon the insulation that wouldtend to cause its fracture under the conditions of use of the apparatus.

Hie invention comprises the features hereinafter described in anapparatus according to the invention.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure l is an elevation of an apparatus constructedaccording to the invention shown partly in vertical cross-section.

Figure 2 is a plan view corresponding to Figure 1, with the cover andstirrup of the apparatus removed.

'Figure 3 is a side elevation partly in vertical section.

Figure 4 is a reverse plan view corresponding to Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a section on the line l-l of Figure 2 showing the method ofconnection of the electrodes and the bottom of the container.

Figure 6 is a section on the line 2-4 of Figure 2 showing the method ofconnection of the third terminal plug to the electrode.

Figure 7 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 2 showing the method ofconnection of the pole member to the bottom of the container. 5

In carrying the invention into effect as illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings in the construction of an apparatus for heating liquids andparticularly for the preparation of infusions, such as infusions ofcoffee, I provide the cylindrical 9 container a advantageously ofnon-corrodihle metal, such as stainless steel, German silver or thelike, having moulded exterior to-it a surrounding jacket b of a phenolformaldehyde condensation product consolidated under heat and 15pressure within a mould in the usual manner.

I similarly provide a cover 0 of suitable metal such as stainless steel,or German silver, having moulded on the exterior an insulating jacket dof a substance similar to the jacket b. The jacket 29 b is reinforced bya reinforcement e formed of a flat strip of metal such as steel of asubstantially U-shape which is moulded with the insulating jacket, theupper ends e being diverted outwardly and having brazed or welded tothem on their respective inner and outer faces an innerring e and anouter ring e The container at is formed at the upper end with a narrowoutwardly extending flange a The container a with the reinforcement eand the parts carried by it are set into the mould which is chargedwith-the phenol formaldehyde condensation product conveniently in theform of flne powder and the moulding of the insulating jacket carriedout under the conditions of pressure and temperature f such as are usualfor consolidation whereby the respective parts are integrallyincorporated.

It will be understood that in the illustrated construction the lowerpart c of the reinforcement passes under the base part a of thecontainer and that above the flange a the container is of largerdiameter for the accommodation of the outwardly and upwardly extendingflange f of a dish or tray soldered, welded or otherwise 4 secured to atubular spindle 9 closed at its upper end and open at its lower endwhich is provided with an insulated head ashereinafter described.

and is provided with orifices I at the upper part immediately above thedish I. A loosely mounted and perforated strainer h is applied over theupper end of the tubular spindle g so-that it normally rests upon thedish I. An elastic packing r 1 8 1 0! rubber, asbestos or other materialis mounted on the annular seat of the flange f upper perforated strainerj is provided with top of the packing ring i. The cover 0 is similarlymoulded with an insulating jacket d of similar material to that of theinsulating jacket b and is advantageously ofa substantially conicalshape so as to form a compartment k into which the infusion passes andfrom' which it issues through the outletp'lpe l, detachably connected tothe cover 0 and jacket :1. At the top of the cover 0 a curved metalplate c advantageously of a circular curvature is integrally formed forthe accommodation of the end 111. of the screwthreaded spindle m whichis carried in ,the boss 11. of a stirrup n pivotally connected at n. tothe upper part of the reinforcement c.

It will be understood that by means of the stirrup n exerting a downwardpressure on the cover 0 the cover is held in gas-tight connection withthe container 11 and owing to the resulting tensile stress created inthe reinforcement e no part of the jackets o and d are subjected toinjurious tensile stress in the use of the apparatus. I

The container a is mounted on a hollow base plate 0 of the insulatingsubstance to which are secured three electrical plug contacts p, 11 pextending within insulated sockets from the base plate 0 and beinginsulated from the container a by insulating sleeves of .ebonite or thelike, the entury being secured by metallic connection to the container a(Figure 4). The insulated plug contacts p, p are connected beneath thehollow baseplate o by strip metal connections or the like advan lyadapted to serve as a fuse to the 'lower etremitiesof correspondingscrews q, q

whlchproject in insulating sleeves through the bottom of the container0. and jacket b. A third screw q" similarly provided is connected bystrip metal to one of the two other screws q, q The screws q, :1 q? passthrough centrally bored carbon or graphite electrodes r mounted toextend upwardly within the contalnerpthe heads of the screws bearingagainst the upper end surfaces of the carbon or graphite electrodes r tohold them in an upstanding position on the base part a of the container0. when the lower extremities of the screws q are engaged by nuts or thelike. Washers s of insulating material mach as rubber, ebonite or thelike are provided on the screws to ensure insulation of the electrodesfrom metallic container a.

mounted at equal distances apart, the pole member t which may beprovided of substantially circular cross-section surrounding them, andbeing for the purpose provided with corresponding recesses or holes sothat a narrow channel is maintainedaround each electrode between theelectrode and the pole member. The pole member t is maintained inposition on the base part a" of the container at by means of screws t asillustrated in Figure 7, to one of which is connected the terminal plugp as shown in Figure 6, the screws t beingengaged in sockets a welded orotherwise secured on the base part-a of the container a (Figure 7), thescrews t" advantageously fitting in three or more vertically dis- 19,566a seating flange 7' adapted to contact with the posed peripheralrecesses or grooves correspondingly provided in'the pole member t.

The recesses or holes 15 in the pole member 1.

. may be joined together by cutting away the dividing wall at the centreof the pole member. In the gap thus formed is received the lower end ofthe-hollow spindle 9 closed at the top and insulated from the polemember in which it is located by a hollow cap g of an insulatingsubstance such as ebonite or the like advantageously screwed thereon,and towards the bottom, being transversely grooved at g at the bottom topermit of the passage of liquid or vapour through the spindle g.

In the use of three carbon electrodes 1 as hereinbefore described therapidity of boiling of the liquid in the'container may be varied byconnectingup various combinations of the plug contacts 12, p and 11* tothe source of current; four different degrees of heat arepossiblelowmedium-stronghigh. Tins variation is made possible owing tothe particular form of the pole member t surrounding the electrodes, theresistance to the passage of electric current across the channelssurrounding the electrodes varying for different combinatiorm of theconnections to the plug contacts. Thus the minimum heat'is obtained whenthe current is passed through the container by connecting the positivepole of the source of current to the two connected electrodes and thenegative pole to the single electrode.

Thus the current paths'between the two connected electrodes and thesingle electrode are relatively extended since they traverse the widegap between the corresponding holes in the graphite pole member. Themedium heat is obtained when the positive pole is connected to the"contact in electrical connection with the container and the negativepole remains connectedto the single electrode. In this case the currentpath is from the pole member to the single electrode across the narrowchannel surrounding the electrode. Strong heat is obtained with thepositive pole connected as for medium heat and the negative pole isconnected to the two connected electrodes,

the paths of the current traversing the substantially circular channelsaround the two connected electrodes. Maximum heat is obtained with thepositive pole connected as before and two negative poles connectedrespectively to the connected electrodes and the single electrode. Inthis case the paths of the current traverse all the channels formedaround the electrodes.

In operation ground coffee is placed on the strainer h within the dishf, the latter being then placed in position in the container a which hasbeen previously filled with water to the required level. The coveringmember comprising the cover 0 and jacket d is then secured on the top ofthe container '0 and clamped down thereon by means of the stirrup 11.,thus securing a gas-tight joint. The current is then switched on and thewater in the container a boils, and is forced upwardly by the pressureof the steam generated in the container through the coffee in the dish Iand, passing through the perforated strainers h and 7' into the spaceIt. passes, out through the downwardly extending outlet pipe I into areceptacle placed beneath.

It will thus be understood that the coffee grounds are held within achamber formed between the strainer h within the dish I and the upperperforated strainer 1. Branch tubes of the outlet pipe 2 permit of twocups being filled at 2' the same time.

It will be understood that the invention is not confined to theparticular construction of apparatus hereinbefore described, nor to theparticular disposition of its component parts, nor to the materials usedin its construction. Thus the apparatus may be formed of stainlesssteel, nickelplated steel, German silver, or any other noncorrodible andnon-oxidizable metal, and/or it may be insulated by glass, or otherinsulating substance internally or externally or may be mounted on aninsulating plate in any other manner than as hereinbefore described.

It will be understood, furthermore, that the invention is not limited tothe particular electrical circuits as hereinbefore described which maydiffer inter alia according to the number of electrodes. the particularforms of the pole member or electrodes, the current used, whether directcurrent or alternating current, or the voltage,

which may be as low as 80 or as high as 250.

These voltages may furthermore be used without any danger of electricshock to the person using the apparatus owing to the electricalinsulation of the casing of the apparatus and the other component partsthereof.

The apparatus further may be used purely as a heater for milk, water orother liquids or in the preparation of other infusions such as tea orthe like, and the heating elements may be applied to a container servingmerely as a kettle or saucepan.

The liquid in the container is purified not only by naturalsterilization due to heating and by the continuous passage of currentbetween the carbon electrodes, but also by ozonization be.- tween thepoles and by the electronization.

To facilitate the production of large quantities of coflee from theapparatus, the spindle g and dish I, together with the strainers h and amay be provided in duplicate in which case also the spindle a may beextended to pass through the upper strainer which is provided with ahole for the purpose, the upper extension of the spindle g shown indotted lines in Figure 1 being reduced in cross-section andadvantageously provided with a pointed end. In this way the second dishcharged with fresh coffee may be quickly and easily placed in positionin the apparatus when the coffee in the first dish is spent.

Further to facilitate the removal of the dish and to avoid the necessityof touching the inner heated metallic parts of the apparatus, thespindle g may be provided at its upper end with an annular groove withinwhich there may be engaged the bifurcated end of a metallic stripprovided with the apparatus, the other end of which strip mayadvantageously be formed as a cup or measure for charging the coffeeinto the apparatus.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for heating liquids, more especially for preparinginfusions, such as of coffee,

comprising a liquid container which is electrically non-conducting atleast exteriorly, a closure for the container, a plurality of electrodesin the bottom of the container, in contact with the liquid, for heatingthe liquid by its resistance to the electrolytic conduction of current,and a vertically disposed, liquid elevating tube insulated from theelectrodes and having its lower and close to and between them.

2. Apparatus for heating liquids, more especially for preparinginfusions, such as of coffee, comprising a metallic container for theliquid, a closure member for the container, electrical heating meansmounted within the container and an insulating jacket of an electricallynon-conductive material surrounding the container a plurality ofelectrodes in the bottom of the container, in contact with the liquid,for heating the liquid by its resistance to the electrolytic conductionof current, and a vertically disposed, liquid elevating tube having itslower end close to and between the electrodes and insulated from them.

3. Apparatus for heating liquids, more especially for preparinginfusions, such as of coffee, comprising a metallic container for theliquid,

a closure member for the container, electrical heating means mountedwithin the container and an insulating jacket of an electricallynon-conductive mouldable material surrounding the container.

4. Apparatus for heating liquids, more especially for preparinginfusions, such as of coffee, comprising a metallic container for theliquid, a closure member for the container, electrical heating meansmounted within the container, an

insulating jacket of an electrically non-conductive material surroundingthe container, a reinforcement for the container and clamping means forthe cover movably secured to the'reinforcemerit for securing aneffective gas-tight joint between the cover and the container.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, in which the reinforcement for thecontainer comprises a U-shaped strip of metal moulded into theinsulating cover to lie in a substantially vertical plane and internaland external rings secured to the U-shaped strip and disposed in a planetransversely of the plane of the strip.

6. Apparatus for heating liquids, more especially for preparinginfusions, such as of coffee, comprising a metallic container for theliquid, a closure member for the container, a receptacle for thesubstance from which the infusion is to be prepared mounted in the upperpart of the container, strainers positioned above and below saidsubstance, liquid heating electrodes mounted in the lower part of thecontainer, and adapted to be electrically connected to a source ofcurrent outside the container, and an insulating jacket of anelectrically nonconductive mouldable material within which the containeris mounted.

7. Apparatus for heating liquids, more especially for preparinginfusions, such as of coffee, comprising a container for the liquid, areceptacle mounted therein for holding the substance from which theinfusion is to be made, several electrodes mounted in the container andadapted to heat liquid in the container by completing a circuit throughsaid liquid, and means for connecting said electrodes in differentcircuit combinations to vary the current paths between electrodes and tovary the electrode areas, thus providing various degrees of heat.

AURELIO VALLS.

